November 1, 2021

 Bali's short-lived and always less than likely return to normalcy has been rudely torpedoed by Omicron, COVID's latest offering to the long suffering world. Which is to say that all recent measures toward reopening have now been reversed--back now to the seven days quarantine requirement and other odious, tourist-repelling restrictions. In other words, here we go again. 

Perhaps as one result of the island's long isolation and increasing hopelessness, illegal drugs have been booming, with the number of arrests tripling from last year. So much for the conceit that drugs are mostly brought in by evil foreigners, as there have been no foreigners, evil or otherwise, entering for the last year and a half. What does one do when his business has gone bust, when the island's favorite industry has collapsed? Smoke weed, apparently. 

In a similar manner, the beaches in Jembrana, Bali's southwestern regency, are facing an annual problem of being awash in trash. This time around, the favorite excuse--that being that foreign tourists are responsible--is unavailable, as, again, there are none. There is no one to blame but the residents themselves. Reality bites. 

It is reported that a 14 year old boy has been killed in a single vehicle accident on Sunset Road in Kuta. According to reports, the boy crashed his motorbike after losing control at high speed. The boy had no license, nor a registration for the bike he was driving. He died of severe head injuries after hitting the pavement (which is to say, no doubt, that he wasn't wearing a helmet either). 

In nearby Canggu, a Balinese man was arrested after trying to snatch a Canadian woman's purse while both were in motion on their own motorbikes. The attempt resulted in both of them crashing. Bystanders then helped the victim and pinned down the perpetrator, who is now facing a lengthy jail term for attempted theft as well as assault. Hopefully the young woman was not seriously hurt. I can't help but be reminded of a similar though far more deadly incident some years ago involving two thieves and a young woman, Chinese if I remember correctly. In this case, however, as the thieves tried to tug the woman's purse free from her shoulder, she fell from her bike and ended up on the pavement in front of an oncoming truck. She was killed outright. I never did hear what happened to the two men who assaulted her.